It Pays To Look Smart In Tough Times!

Anxious about the economy? Feeling like you have no input? Feeling powerless, like you have no control.  In the face of cutbacks and lay-offs, it’s easy to feel like you have zero control over your future.  We all feel a little like that.  We easily get to feeling down, and depressed.

It’s time to take control of what we can in our everyday life by adjusting our attitude, our expectations, our spending, our eating, our exercise, and yes, our dress and image.  The way we look, and the way we present ourselves to the world is one thing we can control.  Now is the time to slop around in a T-shirt and jeans or sweats, dwelling on bad news.  Don’t let yourself look like a loser!

Guys, get up and get dressed in the morning. I mean get dressed.  Wearing to work what you wore to bed doesn’t do the job.  Sloppy-looking jeans with attention-getting holes in them never lifted anybody’s spirits.  Comb your hair and shave.  Bedhead and a scruffy chin don’t cut it!  Never did!  Casual Friday is killing the workplace.  Sloppiness is a corporate hot topic these days!

Girls, ditch frumpy and adopt a little flair in color and fabric. Get away from “girlie” styles that make us look ten years old and helpless. Dress to look like you‘ve got a brain, know what to do, and how to do it, and you’re going to get it done!  That’s the woman who’s going to stick around and set the bar higher for the rest of the team.

“A professional image is a powerful yet often overlooked tool for getting results for yourself and your company,” points out image coach Mary Lou Andre. The current crisis of confidence has everyone afraid to spend.  “While it may seem counterintuitive, spending money on the way you look and present yourself in tough economic times is actually a sound investment.  The confidence you gain helps you feel more secure, calm and prepared for things outside of your control.  It also inspires trust and confidence in others.”

In these times of uncertainty, take the initiative and learn to use your clothes as a resource, a tool to help you become more productive.  Look like you mean business. Make your appearance part of your self-branding.  Make your brand image part of your business plan. It’s that important!  Give yourself a change in the look of your clothes.  Try wearing a powerful piece of clothing.  Look sharp, in charge of your looks and your life.

The fear of losing one’s job in these uncertain times has fuelled many to up the ante on dress codes, attitudes, and work ethics.  The economy may be down but don’t underestimate the power of dressing up.  When you look good you feel good about yourself and others.  You stand a little taller.  You speak a little clearer.  You act a little nicer.  Looking sharp you feel friendlier.  Feeling friendlier, get yourself out and out of yourself.  It’s contagious and everyone around you benefits from your good choices.  It works!